Leo Gale dragged himself through the castle catacombs, his rust colored hair draped over his eyes as he wandered. He was dressed in only a black robe that faded to a dark pink. It sagged on his shoulders, revealing his bare chest. He stumbled and tripped over his bare feet, as if he wasn't in control of his movements.
He passed several ancient paintings, each a reminder of a long forgotten past. They all depicted the same deity, with many stars surrounding her. These paintings could only have been made by the most meticulous hands. Yet the witch ignored them, continuing his search for something unknown.
The mushroom people watched Leo from a distance, shaking in fear as they saw him walk as if he were a puppet on strings. In a soft whisper, he muttered to himself, his voice no longer sounding like his. As he gasped, Leo looked to the mushrooms with a heaving chest, his voice trembling in exhaustion. "Take me. . . to King Lupin. . ."
. . .
King Lupin lay in a white and gold bathtub. Not wanting to get it wet, his long white hair was tied up with a Dahlia hair clip, and his long wolf tail stuck out of the tub, wagging happily. The king hummed with delight, enjoying the warmth of the scented lavender water against his naked body.
As the king rested, a kit fox with a body made of star dust yipped and pounced forward, wispy tail flowing with his movements. The fox jumped into the bath, splashing Lupin who laughed and picked the fox up. "Gato! I didn't want my hair wet you rascal!" He joked, booping the fox's nose.
With a sigh, King Lupin stood and drained the tub. Lupin then set Gato down on his marble sink, letting him wrap the small fox in a hand towel. The king smiled as he heard the fox purr softly.
After drying himself off, Lupin slipped into a long see-through black and violet robe with a black belt. He finally picked up Gato and they left the bathroom, with Lupin tickling the fox's tummy while laughing.
Silencing the sound of laughter and yips, a sharp grinding noise of crystals scraping against each other was heard. His guard now up, Lupin watched as a well-kept lavender jade bookcase slid across the floor, and a figure staggered out. Lupin, unable to see, sniffed the air, his violet eyes widening once he recognized the scent.
"Little Gale?" muttered Lupin as Leo stumbled forward into the king's arms. The witch coughed violently, and his eyes were bloodshot from the pain that he was in. He trembled. The only thing keeping Leo standing was Lupin, who looked him over with unsteady eyes. "Gale? Deities, you're freezing, c'mon let's get you to the bed." Lupin said as Gato jumped down onto the king's bed, whimpering lowly.
Lupin guided the witch to his soft bed, with black fluffy blankets and violet pillows, decorated with pink drapes. He let Leo lay down and rest, covering him with the blanket to warm him up. With a wave of the king's hand, candles faintly lit the room, enhancing his sight. Lupin watched as Leo's chest heaved and blood spilled from his mouth.
"Leo! What happened!? Wh-what do I do!?" With a soft cough, Leo muttered under his breath, "get medicine. . . In Cova's study. . ." With an unsteady breath, Lupin kissed Leo's forehead and said, "Alright, aguanta por mi, and stay awake, please." The king then stood up and ran the same way Leo entered, panicked by Leo's bloody state.
The king's heart raced with fear and desperation as he sprinted down the sparkling crystal pathways, he kept himself from looking down, fearing to see blurry blood stains trailing the floor. As Lupin raced through the catacombs, his wolf ears twitched in different ways, reacting to noiseless sounds that guided him to Cova's study.
While running, Lupin staggered, skidding into a dead end as he gasped for breath. Rushing to the dead end, he pushed the brick wall, creating a door that opened to Cova's study. Lupin hurried out of the door and ran to Cova's desk, opening drawers and scattering magical objects and scrolls.
He searched and searched before noticing a small glass cabinet with many teardrop-shaped vials. The vials were filled with red and pink swirling liquid and had assorted star flower petals inside. Lupin quickly opened the cabinet and grabbed one of the vials before rushing out, praying to the deities he wasn't too late.
As he ran back to his room, he noticed the mushroom people shaking in fear. He paid them no mind as he continued, only stopping once he reached his room. Recognizing a scent he'd never forget, it mixed with the distinct scent of blood and dust. Lupin froze in fear, his breath unsteady as the vial fell out of his limp hand.
"I was wondering when you'd show up, pathetic mutt."
'Leo' sat on King Lupin's bed. Blood drenched his robe. He curled his lips into a wicked smirk and only his left eye was visible. Black cracks trailed down his face, and his eye was completely black with only a pink light visible.
He looked haunting.
"N-no. . . Not you. . . Anyone but you. . ." Lupin trembled, falling to the floor as 'Leo' walked to him. The witch kneeled down and grabbed Lupin's face. His hands were as cold as death. As Lupin whimpered, he cried out, terrified. "I told Leo to stay awake. . . I told him!" 'Leo' laughed, licking his lips as he whispered in the king's ear. "Well he didn't listen. . ."
Suddenly, Lupin was being dragged along to his bed by a black chain. He whimpered and thrashed, begging the witch before him to let him go. "Please no! Lyr-" He was cut off as 'Leo' pushed him down, his cold hand on the mutt's mouth. "NEVER SAY THAT NAME!" He yelled, angered at first, but his anger gave way as he took notice of Lupin's pathetic position.
'Leo' laughed to himself, trailing his hand down the trembling mutt's chest. "Please. . . don't do it. . . I beg you. . . I want Leo back. . . I want my deity back. . . Please." Lupin continued to plead, trying to crawl away, but was stopped as 'Leo' straddled him and pinned his hands above his head.
"Aww~ poor Lupin. . . I'm going to have fun using you~"